New study suggests youth suicide attempts increased globally during COVID-19 pandemic

A University of Calgary study looking at 11 million pediatric emergency room visits across 18 countries found there was a 22 per cent jump in the number of children going to the emergency department for suicide attempts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The study, published in The Lancet Psychiatry on Thursday afternoon, was co-authored by researchers in Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa and Dublin.

The data compared ER visits for children before the pandemic to the time frame between January 2020 and July 2021.

"There’s been a debate during the pandemic as to whether the kids are alright or not alright. Now that more data have been published and analyzed, we can more precisely answer that question. The kids are, in fact, not alright," said Sheri Madigan, a psychologist at the University of Calgary and a co-author of the study. 

The research found the number of overall visits to the ER by children went down during the first part of the pandemic, yet visits related to attempted suicides and suicide ideation increased. 

"There's been a gradual upward trend over the last decade showing that kids are going to the emergency department for suicide attempts at a greater and greater rate each and every year," Madigan told CTV News. 

"What we observed in our study is that there was a substantive increase over and above what you would expect based on trends."

Kids were less physically active during the pandemic, but screen time went up, time spent in isolation increased and anxiety for some climbed as COVID-19 spread,  Madigan said.

Sheri Madigan is a psychologist at the University of Calgary. It was even more prevalent in young girls than boys, the study found. 

"(The girls) rate of visiting emergency department for suicidal behaviour increased by 39 per cent compared to before the pandemic. Whereas for boys, the rate of increase was only six per cent," she said. 

Despite the increase in emergency department visits for children during the pandemic, the number of overall suicide deaths in Calgary — adults included — declined. According to the Centre for Suicide Prevention, suicide deaths in Calgary decreased from 153 in 2019 to 141 in 2020, and 131 in 2021. 

It still points to more people, especially children, seeking help during the onset of the pandemic, Madigan explains. It's also a trend mental health support groups noticed among youths. 

"It's upsetting, for sure, but it almost doesn't really come as a surprise, because it's been what we've been hearing over the last two years from young people," said Alex San Diego, a communications coordinator with Kickstand.

Kickstand is a non-profit organization that provides mental health and wellness supports specifically for Albertans between the ages of 12 and 25. The group offers free virtual help for young people that allows someone to sign up for an appointment with a mental health therapist or substance abuse counsellor.  

San Diego says Kickstand was started because they heard the need for more accessible mental health support from youths themselves. Teens and young adults are already dealing with many life changes and are vulnerable during formative years, she said.

"So, you add on a pandemic where everything is so unsure — there's a lot of fear and then they're being isolated from people they care about — it's definitely going to put a lot of stress on their mental health," San Diego said. 

Madigan explains the results of the study highlights the need for more mental health supports and resources for young people, including more investment by government to boost community mental health treatments. 

To reach the Distress Centre, you can call or text 403-266-4357 (HELP). The Kids Help Phone has services available 24/7 across Canada and can be reached by texting CONNECT to 686868 or by phoning 1-800-668-6868.